As the Clinical Utilities of Liquid Biopsies track chair at the Precision Medicine World Conference (PMWC) 2024 Silicon Valley, I am excited to invite you to join us for this enlightening January 24-26 program. This track will delve into the latest clinical advancements and applications of liquid biopsy and feature presentations from leading luminaries in the field.
In a recent conversation, I shared my perspective on the transformative potential of liquid biopsy in early cancer detection. While we are still facing the challenges of creating a generic cancer test, the progress made in patients already diagnosed with cancer are numerous. The ability to monitor response to treatments and detect minimal residual disease (MRD) showcases the versatility of this diagnostic approach. But first and foremost, we need to emphasize the importance of focused efforts on indications with the highest need, particularly aggressive cancer types that can benefit the most from early detection. This interview provides a glimpse into the depth of discussions we’ll be having at the conference.
I’m also excited to share some key takeaways from Anne-Renee Hartman, Co-founder & CMO at Adela and chair of the Liquid Biopsy for Health Monitoring and Disease Prevention session:
❖ Emerging technologies – The future of early cancer detection is promising with the advent of new liquid biopsy technologies that leverage emerging technologies such as whole genome, transcriptome, or methylome methodologies, offer scalability, cost-effectiveness, and potentially higher sensitivity.
❖ The path to consistent early cancer detection – While today, routine screening is limited to a few cancers, the adoption of multi-cancer early detection (MCED) testing is pivotal. Therefore, the field is keenly awaiting the results of clinical studies underway (e.g., PMWC Exhibitor – GRAIL’s MCED test Galleri) underway, as they will shape the future of cancer screening.
❖ Challenges in clinical adoption – The journey to widespread adoption of liquid biopsy technologies is intricate. From developing the technologies and gathering clinical evidence for regulatory approval to demonstrating their positive impact on healthcare costs, the road ahead is both challenging and exciting.
❖ Potential risks – The risks of false positives and negatives, as well as the detection of indolent cancers, are areas of active research and discussion.
A glimpse of the PMWC 2024 Liquid Biopsy program:
● PMWC 2024 Award Ceremony
● Pioneer Honoree: David Sidransky (Johns Hopkins)
● Luminary Honorees: Helmy Eltoukhy (Guardant Health) & AmirAli Talasaz (Guardant Health)
● Keynote: Utilities of Liquid Biopsy in Biomarker Testing by Laura van’t Veer (UCSF)
● Status Quo of Clinical Liquid Biopsy chaired by Helmy Eltoukhy, featuring speakers like Sadakatsu Ikeda (TMDU), Heather Parsons (Dana-Farber), Bruna Pellini (Moffitt Cancer), and Sanjay Popat (Royal Marsden).
● Liquid Biopsy for Health Monitoring and Disease Prevention (PANEL) chaired by Anne-Renee Hartman (Adela Bio), with panelists AmirAli Talasaz, Heather Parsons, Sylvia Katina Plevritis (Stanford) and Mary Pat Lancelotta (Adaptive Bio).
● Liquid Biopsy in Early Cancer Detection (PANEL) chaired by Tom Beer (Exact Sciences), featuring Wendy Rubinstein (NIH/NCI).
● Keynote: Pioneering Liquid Nucleic Acids Tumor Fragments in Health and Diseases by David Sidransky
● New Approaches in Liquid Biopsy (PANEL) chaired by Victor Velculescu (Johns Hopkins), with panelists David Sidransky, Dan Landau (NY Genome Center), and Daniel De Carvalho (U. of Toronto).
● Global Implications: A scalable Liquid Biopsy for HPV-related Cervical Cancer (PANEL) chaired by Debra Fraser-Howze (CHL), featuring Belinda Nedjai (Wolfson Inst.) and Elisabeth Adams (Aquarius).
● Clinical Dx / Liquid Biopsy Showcase presenters in Tracks 4 and S2 include: Xiaohui Ni (Early Dx), Babak Alipanahi (Exai), Mark Kidd (Wren labs), Lauren Saunders (Ceres Nanosciences), Cindy Lawley (Olink), Sean Hofherr (Fabric), Harmeet Dhani (Biological Dynamics), Brian Hashemi (Novigenix), Catherine Schnabel (Nucleix), Manu Tamminen (Genomill Health), Christian Meisel (Hedera Dx), Neogenomics, and Torbjørn Furuseth (DoMore Diagnostics). If you are interested in presenting, contact [email protected]
Register Now to join me for PMWC January 24-26, 2024.
I look forward to exploring the future of liquid biopsy with you.
Best regards,
Laura van’t Veer
Chair of the Clinical Utilities of Liquid Biopsies Track
PMWC 2024 Silicon Valley – January 24-26, 2024
The Precision Medicine World Conference (PMWC)
